Vapor electric lamp.



0. 0. KRUH. VAPOR ELECTRIC LAMP. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 22,1903.

Patented Nov. 25, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Ln ve'ntom sest ' 0. 0. KRUH. VAPOR ELEGTRIC LAMP. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 22,1903.

Patented Nov. 25, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. 'FTg.4.

.lllllll! fl nventor: Osims Otto KP u h.

bridge over UNITED- STATES orrron.

come 0; 3mm, or scnnimcmn'r, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOB ro GENERAL unnc'i'mc comm-Nan cosronnrron or NEW roux.

VAPOR ELECTRIC LAM-P.

incomes.

PatntedNov. 25, 1913.

To all whom, it may concern.

Be it known that I,sms Orzo. KRUH, a

subject of the Emperor of Austria-Hungary,-

residing at Schenectady, Schenectady invented certain new. and useiiul Improvements in Vapor Electric Lamps, of which the following specification.

in. the county of My. invention relates to improvements: in

the construction. and operation of vapor electric lamps or rectifiers, and more especially to vapor electric lamps arranged. for use with aiternating-current circuits.

One of the principal. objects of-my invention is to render the-starting of such a lamp instantaneous. r

Certain other objects of my invention of a minor nature, together with the details of construction and mode of 'operation of up paratus built in accordance with my invention, will be set forth more at length in the following description which is to be taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

The novel features of my pointed out with pended claims.

invention are particularity in the up In the drawin s Fi'urc 1 re resents one' en'ibodiment of my inventionand. Figs. 2, 3 and 4, modified forms.

In Fig, 1 the exhaustedv envelop of the lamp is of generally tubular form as. indicated at 1. The lower portion of the tube is provided with a. small tube 2 laterally olfset from the main tube and communicating therewith as indicated. The Lower ends of the tubes 1 and 2 form pockets which are filled with mercury sufficient in amount to the wall 3 which separates the pockets of the depending ortionsof the tubes 1 and 2. The bodies: 0. mercury 4. and. 5 in these pockets constitute electrodes.

In the space between the tubes 1 and 2 is located a small auxiliary electrode 6 of graphite or other suitable material connected to an external-circuit'by a suitable lead.- ing-in conductor.

In the upper portion of the tube 1 are located three electrodes 7 8 and 9 of a suitable composition such as graphite, which elecand. State of. New Yonk,.htwctrodes are connected through leading-in wires with external circuits in a manner about to be described. The electrode 9 is provided Witha. filament 10 of carbon extending downwardl. therefrom and, pass ing through a suita 1e anchoring device 11 or the like, into proximity to but not into contact. with the body of mercury in the bottomof the tube.

A hermetically sealed glass tube 12, filled with iron wires 13 to form an armature, floats in the body of mercury and is arranged so as to be under the influence of a solenoid 14. When this solenoid is onergizedl the tube is withdrawn more or less from the mercury thus laying bare the bridge 3. When this operation takes place the bodies of mercury in the two pockets 4L and 5 constitute separate electrodes. The electrode 4. serves as one of the main electrodes of the lamp, while the electrode 5 to gcther with the electrode 6 constitute startjug electrodes which 0 crate in a manner presently to be described.

Sin le-pha-se current is derived from any suitab e source and is conveyed to the lamp over mains 1.5 and 16. Before the lamp is started, these mains are connected, one through the solenoid l l'with the body of mercury 5 and. the other to the electrode 6. These mains are also connected, through the energizin coils 17 and 18 of a pair of cutouts, to. t c main electrodes 7 and 8 in the top of thelamp. v

The adjacent electrode 9 is provided with means whereby a high voltage may be temporarily impressed thereon, and to this end it is connected to one terminal of the secondary 19 of a transformer, the other terminal of which is connected to the cooperating main electrode 4 as indicated. The primary 20 of this transformer may be fed in a num' ber of different ways, as indicated in the respective figures of the drawing, but in the particular embodiment shown in Fig. 1 it is connected in multiple with one of the two inductance coils 21 and 22 which are joined in series across the mains 15 and 16. The purpose of these inductance coils is to store and restore energy so that when the lamp is in operation, either at starting or under normal running conditions, theremay be no instant when an arc is not flowing between some one pair of electrodes in the lamp. Unless a continuous series of overlapping arcs in the tube were assured the lamp would not operate with alternating current. Inasmuch, however, as the application of the inductance coils 21 and 22 to an apparatus of the typedescribed is not of my invention,

I do not consider it necessary in the following description to enter into any great detail as to the theory of operation of these inductances.

In the operation of starting the lamp, current flows from the main 16, through the inductance coil 22 to lead 23, and thence by cury 4 electrically conducting. An are then springs between the two electrodes 4 and 6. In sustaining the two arcs thus formed, current of one polarity flows from the main 15 to the electrode 5, then through the are over the brid e 3 to the main mercury electrode 4,,

then bac through the lead 23 to the junction point 24, and from thence through the inductanee coil 22 to the other main 16: In a similar manner current of opposite polarity flows from the main 16 to the electrode 6, thence through the arc to the main electrode or body of mercury 4, thence through the lead 23 to the junction 24, and so through the other inductance coil 21 to the main 15. It

is to be understood that current flows alternately from these two mains 15 and 16. In either case it passes through one or the other of the inductance coils 21 and 22.' When therefore the current in either of these coils commences to fall from its maximum value the coil discharges around the local circuit afforded by one or the other of the electrodes 5 and 6, as the case may be, and the lead 23 from the electrode 4: to the junction 24.

Each discharge lasts longer than a ,half. period, so that there can therefore never.

' exist a moment, no matter how short, when current is not flowing in the form of an are between each of the electrodes5, 6 and the main electrode 4. The production of ionized vapor-ti; s goes on continuously and no interrupti n in the flow of current from the alternating-current source takes place. The condition'of operation, that one are cannot start unless there be a pre-existing arc-is therefore satisfied.

When the arcs thus described are star (1, the high voltage induced in the second ry 19 by the passage of current through its primary, though not sufliciently high, if acting alone, to produce an arc, cooperates with the previously started arcsto cause an instantaneous starting up of an arc in the main tube between the electrode 9 and the electrode 4 to which the secondary is connected. This operation, due to the conductivity thus imparted to the space ,in the main tube, causes the arcs'previously existing between the electrode 4 and the electrodes 5 and 6, respectively, to be communicated instantaneously to the upper main electrodes 7 and 8.

The current which 'then flows in the leads' extending to the electrodes 7 and 8 therefore" energizes the solenoids 17 and 18' which thereupon operate upon the contact-making devices cont-rolled by their respective armatures, and thus open the circuits of the two electrodes 5 and 6 and also the circuit of the primary 20 of the transformer by which a high voltage is impressed onthe startin electrode 9. The transformer mentione might however be left in circuit though it is preferable that it be cut out of circuit sinceexcept at starting it performs no particularly useful service, while at the same time if the electrode 9 remain in circuit the filament 10 connected thereto is apt todisintegrate under the .influenc'e of alternating current.

In the arrangement thus described in connection with Fig. 1 it will be noticed that the primary 20 of the starting transformer is not traversed by the total current passing to the lamp but only by a fractional ortion thereof. This construction is rendere necessary by the fact that if the primary were to be so connected as to be traversed by the .total current going to the lamp, then, upon interruptionof the secondary, the reaction produced upon the primary 'would so interfere, even though momentarily with the flow of current to the lam that the latter would go out. The connection of the transformer s therefore made so that the secondary. is

not inductively related, so to speak, to the entire lamp current.

To secure the sameresult various other connections may be employed than that shown in Fig. 1, as for example that shown in Fig. 2. In this figure the construction of the lamp is represented as identical with that shown in Fig. 1 and therefore requires no further efilrplanation. The chief difference in'the figures relates to the connection of the starting transformer. This transformer has its primary 25 connected in parallel with an inductance 26 in series with one of the sup primary 25. and t 'eiml'uctancecoil 26 still in 1 nails 27.- an steamers-as as use transformer is chhfiebtd het w h the filal manearryin'g' staiffilig elections 29 ,Ql'lCl the lower main mercury electrode 30. The circuit of secohdary is arranged fed as to be interrupted operates of a" iit-o'ut magnet er whitlr ases into action when the lamp starts as has been described it! connection with Fig. 1.

In Fig 2 the cut-out 31, when it cuts the seconda .28 out of circuit, leaves the circuit. If desired the cut-out magnet may be arranged, as indicated at 32 in Fig; 3-, so as to short-circuit the windings 33 and 34 corresponding respectively to the windings and 26 in Fig. 2. The seconda 35 is not disturbed as to its connections liut becomes inert as soon as its primary is shortcircuited. The cut-out 32, when it operates,

opens a circuit between the cont-acts 36, thus cutting out the electrode 37 corres nding to the electrode 6 in Fig. 1, and at t- 1e same time, by bridging over the contacts 38, short-circuits the coils 33 and 34 as before mentioned. p

In the organization shown 'in the. figures already described, the primary of the starting transformer is traversed by a greater or less proportion of current'fiowing to the lamp. If desired, however, this. starting transformer may be made entirely independent of the current in the lamp, in which case the connections may assume the form shown in Fig. 4. In this figure the secondary of the starting transformer is indicated at 39 and is connected, in the same manner as shown in Fig. 3, to a pair of electrodes of the lamp. This lamp is the same as the lamp shown in the preceding figures of the drawings and so requires no separate description. The primary of the transformer is indicated at 40 and is connected through a cut-out switch 41- directly across the sup ply mains 42 and 43. When the lamp starts up in the manner heretofore described, the cut-out operates to cut the primary 40 out of circuit and at the same time opens the circuit of the starting electrode 44.

Although I have described my invention as applied to a vapor lamp for use with altcrnating' currents, it is obvious that it is not necessarily limited to use in connection with a lamp of the character mentioned but is susceptible of application in other relations well. I therefore do not wish to be limited to the exact details shown and do scribed since various modifications thereof both as. to details of construction and mode of application may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What .l claim as new and desire to secure hy lie-t ters Parent of the United States, is,

, 1. The combination of an exhausted enveiop, main electrodes therefor, starting electrodes therefor, and means for impressing j a high voltage upon a main electrode and one of the starting electrodes.

2. The combination of an exhausted enmap, a main mercury, electrode, and are starting electrodes in proximity to said main l electrode, one or said startinf" electrodes be *ing or non-vaporiiable ma erial and the other. of mercury.

3. The combination of a, lurality o'f -main electrodes one of which is adapted to generate a vaporous conducting medium, additional or starting electrodes, a transformer connected to one of said additional or starting electrodes, and means for supplying the primary of the transformer with current flowing to said main electrodes.

4. The combination'of electrodes, a source of alternating current connected to said electrodes, inductance coils in circuit between said source and said electrodes, and a one of said inductance coils and its secondary connected to two of said electrodes.

5. The combination of an envelop, a body of mercury in said envelop, callyactuated means for separating said mercur into separate bodies, and a solid electrode located in proximity to the region of such separation. j

6. Thecombinati'on of alternating-current mains, an envelop provided atone end with electrodes connected respectively to said imity to the first-mentioned electrodes, induct-ance coils connected 1n series across said mains, a common cathode connected to pressing a high voltage between said starting electrode and said common cathode, and means for producing an initial generation of ionized vapor in order to enhance the effect of said starting voltage.

7. In an alternating current lamp, the combination of a mercury electrode, and a plurality of non-vaporiza'ble electrodes arranged adjacent to each other, one of said electrodes having a conductor of small crosssection dependin therefrom.

8. In a vapor electric apparatus, the combination of electrodes, a source of alternating-current connected to said electrodes to supply current thereto, and means traversed by a part only of said current for impressing a high voltage upon the apparatus.

9. The combination with an exhausted envelop, of a plurality of working positive plurality of starting electrodes, and current actuated means for setting said apparatus into operation.

transformer having its primary in shunt to mains, a starting elect-rode located in prox a junction between said coils, means for im- (tl0(.'l'l,'0(lQS,'lt common negative electrode, a'

electromagneti- 10. The combination of .a sealedenv elop, a plurality of working positive electrodes: therein, a common negative electrode, and a plurality of starting electrodes one at least of which is'adapted to make and break contact with the negative electrode, said starting electrodes being adapted, when supplied with current, to maintam an are from said I vapor apparatus, the combination of a negative electrode, a plurality of-main electrodes, with two differently functionating supplementary electrodes.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set 15 my hand this 20th dayof June, 1913.

OSIAS O. KRUH. Witnesses BENJAMIN B. HULL, HELEN ORFORD. 

